There's been a lot of soul-searching by Republicans following the
recent presidential election. Many ideas are being advanced on how the
GOP can rebuild. Jim Douglas, a long-time Republican
officeholder, has some thoughts on the subject.

Perhaps the most distinguished piece of architecture on the campus of
the University of Vermont is the Billings Library, which sits atop
university hill in Burlington. Tom Slayton spent many hours there as a
UVM undergraduate, and has these observations on the University's
plans for the building.

Bill Schubart is intrigued by how political polarization is
read in the spectrum of liberal and conservative views when both labels
seem to be losing their meaning. He notes that the
increasingly strident polarization may be between self-interest and the
interest of the community.

Today we remember Bob
Northrop, who died last week at 92. Northrop was a retired teacher who
spent years working on civic causes ranging from the Vermont Electric
Co-operative to the Long Trail. He recorded this essay about the Long
Trail in 2003 as part of a series about notable ideas from leading
Vermonters.

Recently, commentator Sarwar Kashmeri proposed that the Federal
Government think about funding a billion dollar, ten-year, gun-buyback
program to soak up as many of the 300 million firearms in America as
possible. Now, he'd like to take that concept one step further.

Tensions continue in Asia as North Korea responds angrily to new United
Nations sanctions and the latest U.S./South Korean military exercises,
with threats to attack South Korea - and America - with nuclear
missiles. Barrie Dunsmore offers his analysis.

In 1941 Franklin Roosevelt defined four essential human freedoms that Americans would enter World War II to defend. By 1943, they'd been forgotten. Vic Henningsen explains how, seventy years ago, a Vermont artist and his neighbors made the Four Freedoms an enduring American memory.

With mud season under way throughout Vermont, farmers are eagerly
preparing for outdoor field plantings. Kara Fitzgerald, co-owner of Evening Song Farm in
Cuttingsville, says managing erosion is a key part of running a
commercial farm.

Vermont is home to a remarkable number of people doing positive work in businesses and non-profits
around the globe. Fran Stoddard has been taking note of some of
these innovators as they bring the best of Vermont to international
development - like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' Rick Peyser.